The problem related to the stopping of a fugitive vehicle is well known to law enforcement and to military forces. One solution such as a portable barricade often fails when a vehicle crashes through the barricade and escapes. Alternatively, even two or more police cars parked across the road to form a roadblock hardly provide satisfactory results.
To at least slow down a fleeing vehicle, various systems have been proposed, such as for example barriers configured to puncture the tires of a vehicle refusing to stop. One common type of such a barrier is a lightweight latticework, laid across the road and carrying a number of tubular upright-standing spikes. When a fugitive vehicle is driven over the barrier, some of the spikes penetrate the tires that deflate. The damage caused to the tires significantly retards the vehicle making it hard to control, but does not necessarily stop the vehicle, which may continue “on the rims” for a further considerable distance.
European Patent Application No. 0 280 076 A1 to Dörfliger, recites a street barrier having a flexible belt carrying rigid plates, where each plate supports two perpendicular spikes. Each rigid plate is built as an upper plate and a bottom plate that are assembled on both sides of the belt. An assembly of parts is provided to attach to each spike with a screw to the rigid plate and to the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,285 to Ben, recites a removable vehicle barrier for stopping a moving vehicle. The barrier includes a high tensile strength filament disposed transverse to the direction of vehicle movement, having spaced-apart tire adhesion elements attached to the filament. The adhesion elements are provided with lower spike plates for attaching themselves to the tires of the moving vehicle when the vehicle passes over the barrier, thereby winding the filament around the component of the vehicle underside, and effecting the halting of the vehicle. The lower spike plates are covered to allow passage thereover by a vehicle front wheel without engaging the filament, front wheel passage causing exposure of the lower spike plates which then attach themselves to the rear wheels of the vehicles.
Canadian Patent No. 2 393 380 A1 recites a vehicle disabling device wherein a plurality of holding spikes like probes with base plates strung on to a cable of wire rope with ends fashioned into a running bowline or noose to chock and hold vehicles tires.
The International Patent Application No. WO 2004/072382 to Lyddon et al. recites a net that is laid flat on the ground and disposed across the path of an incoming vehicle to be arrested. Two rows of barbed spikes are attached to the net along its leading edge, so that when a vehicle runs over the net, the spikes lodge into its front tires. Thereafter, the net wraps around the front wheels until it is pulled tight under the vehicle: The tension created in the net prevents further rotation of the wheels, and brings the vehicle to a stop.
However inherently to its nature, the net allows spikes to be attached only to the knots connecting the meshes of the net, and nowhere else on the net. Furthermore, attaching a spike to a knot is laborious, labor intensive and time consuming. Moreover, a single spike presents stability problems such as toppling-over when engaging a wheel. In addition, the strength and resiliency of the net in length and in width is not controllable independently, and certainly, resiliency in compression is not achievable in a third thickness dimension.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,781 to Miller, referred to as Miller hereinbelow, recites a vehicle stopping device having a panel of material, which has a tactile leading edge whereon barbed pins extending upwardly therefrom and/or adhesive blisters are disposed. The panel of material is formed of a very lightweight material, such as silk.
Miller does not recite how the leading edge supporting the pins of the panel of silk, which is applied in concertina-folded arrangement onto a roadway, remains applied thereto in a flat condition. Furthermore, Miller does not disclose implementation details about the base portion of the pins, about the fastening of the pins to the panel of silk, and about how toppling over of the pins attached to the lightweight silk panel is prevented.
Miller depicts pins disposed only on the leading edge, which are possibly inserted only through the bottom portion of the panel, and which will leave a hole in the plain panel of silk when retrieved therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,303 to Glasmire, referred to as Glasmire hereinbelow, recites a protective traffic barrier with a rectangular-shaped planar base having wedge-shaped projections which extend perpendicularly upward from the planar base along the longitudinal center line. A barrier having this configuration may be placed across a roadway to prevent entrance of unauthorized vehicular traffic. The wedge-shaped projections cut out of the base top and bent vertically upward may also be protected with a resilient, encapsulating cover to prevent injury to people and animals. The weight of a vehicle on the wedge-shaped projections will puncture the vehicle tire despite the protective cover.
It was remarked hereinabove that tire puncture may retards a vehicle, which may escape and be driven “on the rims” for a further considerable distance.
Glasmire teaches that the barrier may be secured to the road surface using anchor rods or bolts. Hence, it seems that the disclosure of Glasmire refers to a tire-puncturing device, fixedly retained to the road, which device may or may not stop a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,832 to Kilgrow, referred to as Kilgrow hereinbelow, recites a compact tire deflator comprising a compact housing member having a first panel pivotally disposed in relation to a second opposing panel by means of a pivotal engagement 22. In structure, the housing member comprises an intermediate portion providing an internal surface area being sufficient for housing at least one spike mounting assembly 1 further disposed in pivotal relation to the pivotal engagement. Preferably, the mounting assembly is formed having one or more hollow spikes 20. The spikes are configured to operate as a tire deflator.
Kilgrow thus recites a tire deflator. As remarked hereinabove, that tire deflector may retard but not stop a vehicle, which may escape and continue to be driven “on the rims” for a further considerable distance.
It would thus be advantageous to provide a system simple to assemble, and a method for implementing an inexpensive device for repetitive use, allowing to quickly and safely stop a not-complying vehicle refusing to halt. Preferably, the system would have only two types of components, namely a substrate and fasteners disposed thereon.